Cooler unit



March 8, 1960 A. ARMATO, sR., ETAL 2,927,712

` COOLER UNIT Filed June 23, 1958 United Seres Pef COOLER UNIT Albert Armato, Sr., Palatine, Ill., and Maurire Laskin, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application llune 23, 1958, Serial No. 743,802

'3 Claims. (Cl. 220-63) units is the fact that most of the same have been relatively complicated and heavy and expensive in construction with the result that it has been necessary to sell them in a price range which has been prohibitive to great numbers of the purchasing public.

An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a new and improved and relatively simple and inexpensive portable cooler unit which is simple and relatively light, but strong in construction and which may be manufactured and sold in quantity at a relatively low price so that it may be readily used for manually transporting and storing foods and beverages, including beer, soft drinks and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved cooler unit which is so designed, constructed and arranged that it does not require the use of ice or other refrigerant materials to preserve food and beverages in a cool condition, but which, when ice is used therein, will hold the ice or other refrigerant materials longer than prior coolers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved cooler unit which is of lighty construction and which may be readily carried by a child or adult for camping, on vacation trips, and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new portable cooler unit which is highly buoyant and may be effectively used as a life preserver, does not sweat or cause moisture to form by condensation on the outer side thereof, is non-toxic to foods on its inner surface, is nonabsorptive to water and moisture, and may be readily washed with soap and water, if and when the inner surface thereof becomes soiled.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from lthe following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing which, by way of illustration, shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principle thereof and which we now consider to be the best mode in which we have contemplated applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention. In the drawings:

Fig. l is an elevational view illustrating a preferred form of the new cooler unit;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the cooler unit shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, on line 3-3 of Fig. l, partly in section, a part of the construction being broken away to show the internal construction thereof;

Lice

Fig. 4 is a perspective View showing the inner lieat inu sulating shell embodied in the present invention; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail viewY on line 5-544v in Fig. 3.

A preferred form of the new cooler unit isVA illustrated in the drawing, wherein it is generally indicated at 1170, and includes a body or casing generally indicatedat 111 having an open top, and an annular closure member generally indicated at 12. The casing 11 is preferably formed of suitable light and non-corrosive metal such, for.- example, as tin-plated ferrous sheet metal, aluminum, and The casing 11 is preferably, but not necessarily, cylindrical in form, and includes a side wall S and a bottom wall B which may be formedk integral therewith; or 1 the like.

suitably connected thereto, as at 22.

The body 11 of the new cooler unit lalso includes any,

inner unitary heat-insulating shell 14 whichfincludes'a-side wall S-1 and a bottom wall B-1, and this inner shell 14V,-

is molded of a single light, heat-insulating synthetic resinous material, hereinafter referred to.

The unitary inner heat-insulating shell 14 is snugly;v fitted within the outer metallic casing 13 and is retained therein by retaining means in the form of a retaining` ring 15 which includes an outer depending marginal flange 16, which frictionally engages the insideof the thereof.

The new cooler unit 10 is completed by an annular,

closure member 12 which includes a depending flange 18 which is frictionally tted within the outer metallic casing 13, above the retaining ring 15, and a closure cap member 21, which is integral with the ange 18.

The unitary heat-insulating shell 14 is preferably composed of a very light material in the form of an expanded or so-called foam polystyrene resin or so-called foam which is formed of beads of this material of high density and which are molded or extruded to low density form material, or from 2.25 to 6'00 lbs. per cubic foot. This is accomplished by the application of heat at a temperature of about 230 F. until the material has a density within the range stated. Thus, for example, at 3.0 lbs. density, at room temperature, the compression strength of the material is 25 lbs. per square inch, its tensile strength is 65 lbs. per square inch, its ilexural strength is lbs. per square inch, and its import strength is 2.5 lbs. per square inch. The resulting expanded polystyrene foam resin is of closed cell structure, and has excellent physical and thermal properties, and is available under the trademark Dylite (Koppers Co.).

Attaching ears 19 are provided on the outer side of the upper end portion of the metallic casing 13 and the end portions of a handle or bale is swingingly mounted in these ears 19.

In the assembly of the new cooler unit, the unitary heatinsulating shell 14 is arranged with the metallic casing 13 and the retaining ring 15 is thereupon inserted over the upper end portion of the side wall S1 of the inner shell 14 with the depending flange 16 fitting snugly between the inside of the metallic casing 13 and side wall of the unitary heat-insulating member 14. The inner ange portion 17 of the retaining ring 15' is then crimped down over the inside of the unitary heat-insulating member 14 so as to retain the latter in position of use within the outer metallic casing 13.

It will thus be seen that the new portable cooler unit is relatively light and simple and inexpensive in construction and may be used for manually transporting food and beverages and keeping them in a cool condition, without the need for any refrigeration, and because of lits '2,927,712' Patented Mar.

relatively cheap and inexpensive construction may be sol'd` at a low cost by food' and beverage manufacturers or given away as a premium.

It. will further b e noted thatthe new portable cooler unit'is,high1y buoyant, andhence may beetiectively used as, a life preserver. Thus in a typical dimension of the new cooler unit, namely, 13 inches high (inside), 8.5 inches in diameter (inside) and with the inner shell 14 of'ss inch thickness; the new cooler unit with the closure member 12 in; position of use, will effectively support a personweighing up to 250 lbs., in water.

It" has also been found that the new cooler unit will effectivelyV preserve ice or other refrigerant materials, when used therein, longer than prior coolers, that the inner shell 14* is non-toxic to food products, is non-ahsorptivegtowater, isreadily cleaned by application of soap andwater, the new cooler unit has low heat conductivityand doesnot sweat or cause condensation on the outer side thereof and hence will not stain or damage carpetstor upholstery.

'Itwil1 thus` ber seen from the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, that the present` invention provides a new and irnproved cooler unit` havingthe desirable advantages and characteristics, and accomplishing its intended objects, including those hereinbefore pointed out and others which are inherent in the invention.

We claim:`

1. A- portablecooler unit comprising, a body having an open upper end portion and including an outer metallic casing and a unitary heat-insulating shell snugly tted within the outer casing and composed of a unitary molded bodyof expanded foam polystyrene resin and including" a side wall and a bottom wall integral with each other and having an open top, said outer shell and said innerl shell being-substantially cylindrical in form, means for retaining the inner unitary heat-insulating shell within the outer metallic casing comprising a retaining ring having an annular` portion fitted over the upper end portion of the top wall of said inner shell and having a depending outer annular ange frictionally fitted between said outer metallic casing and said inner heat-insulating shell, said retaining ring including, an inner depending ange extendig downwardly inside and frictionally engaging the upper end portion of said inner shell, and a closure member detachably arranged upon the upper end portion of said body'of said cooler unit so as to close the latter.

2. A portable cooler unit as defined in claim 1 in which the closure member comprises an annular tiange having a depending portion frictionally fitted within the outer metallic casing and a radially projecting portion overlying the upper edge of the metallic casing and a cap member integral with the flange and recessed below the radially projecting portion of the ange whereby the cooler unitv may be interchangeably utilized as a cooler or a highly buoyant, water-tight life preserver.

3. A portable cooler unit as defined in claim 2 wherein the metallic casing includes attaching ears and a handle swingingly-mounted in said ears.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,096,572 Stoffel May 12, 1914 1,298,202 Hall et al. Mar. 25, 1919 2,054,323 Holbrook Sept. 15, 1936 2,216,830 Roberts Oct. 8, 1940 2,484,608 Cheyney et al Oct. 11, 1949 2,552,641 Morrison May 15, 1951 

